This invention relates to plasma processing apparatus and in particular, but not exclusively, to sputter deposition apparatus.
In sputter deposition, uniform gas distribution within the chamber is important for achieving uniformity of process upon a substrate, such as a semiconducting or insulating wafer, disc or panel. In such chambers there is generally a target facing the substrate and so the gas distribution solutions, such as shower heads, which are applicable in chemical vapour deposition, are impractical. However, most sputter processes work at a relatively low pressure compared to chemical vapour deposition and, at these low pressures, there is substantial random movement of individual gas molecules within the process chamber allowing a reasonable degree of gas uniformity to be achieved from very simple gas inlets, such as a single point inlet some distance from the target/substrate area, which is where the gas is used or consumed.
Sputter systems, however, generally have elaborate shielding parts, that are removable for cleaning or replacement. As a result the gas inlet, and indeed the pumping outlet, is generally located beneath the shielding and, consequentially, much of the gas never reaches the target/substrate area, as it is pumped away before the random motion enables it to arrive at its point of use. Where the process is non-reactive sputtering, this is less of a problem as the inert gas, typically argon, is there only to provide a source of working ions for the sputter process; the flow of gas and pumping being primarily to remove unwanted contaminants. With reactive sputtering (e.g. for refractory metal nitrides such as are used for barrier layers on semi-conductor devices), a reactive gas, typically nitrogen, is consumed in the process. Here the uniformity of gas distribution is of much greater importance. Further, the location of the gas inlet can lead to poor process performance or unwanted nitride build up, which can flake and hence cause particulate contamination.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,747 describes an approach intended to solve these problems.
The gas inlet 44 and the high conductance pumping outlet 48 are located entirely below the lower sputtering shield 90. Gas is diffused by random motion through the gap 34. Additional conductance to the target/substrate area is provided by perforations 92 in the shielding 90, which is hidden from the plasma by a further shield 96. It will be noted that both the pumping outlet, for pumping from the process area, and the gas inlet to the processing area are defined by the same apertures i.e. the small gap 34 and the additional holes 92.
JP 1149956 discloses sputtering apparatus containing no shielding having a substrate holder 4 which is surrounded by an annular pipe 15 including inlet apertures arranged around its periphery at regular intervals. The holder 4 includes separate bores 7a, 7b which are used as outlets for the gas. However, the bores and the pump 2a face the target 3, which would cause material to be sputtered into the pump and pumping bores and also cause the pump and therefore the gas contained therein to heat up, which is undesirable and impractical in sputtering apparatus.
From a first aspect the invention consists in sputter apparatus including:
(a) a chamber
(b) a target
(c) a work piece support having a support surface
(d) a process area between the target and work piece support
(e) an inlet for process gas; and
(f) a pumping outlet from the process area
characterised in that the inlet substantially surrounds the support, the apparatus including a pumping outlet separate from the inlet and wherein the inlet is shielded from the process area.
The inlet may be shielded by being defined between a wall of the chamber and a chamber shield.
The inlet may debouch above the level of the support surface and, additionally or alternatively, the inlet may be constituted by one or more orifices.
In a preferred arrangement the apparatus further includes a plenum or gallery that substantially surrounds the support and is located upstream of the inlet and wherein the inlet is formed so that its gas conductance is less, preferably substantially less, than the gas conductance of the gallery. It is particularly preferred that the conductance of the inlet is substantially equal along its length. The gas conductance from the inlet to the outlet is typically less than the gas conductance from the inlet to the process area.
It will be understood that in a normal configuration, the support will be generally cylindrical and the inlet and/or gallery will extend substantially circumferentially around the support. Accordingly the inlet could be formed as a continuous slit or it can, as has been mentioned previously, be formed as a series of openings extending around the support. The pumping outlet may be annular and can substantially surround the support.
Conveniently the gallery is defined between a wall of the chamber and a chamber shield. The volume of the gallery can most readily be defined by a cavity formed in the chamber wall, but it may, in part or in whole, be defined by the shape of the shield.
The inlet may be defined between a wall of the chamber and the chamber shield. Additionally or alternatively the inlet may be defined in the chamber shield. Thus, for example, the chamber shield may have a castillated or serrated upper edge or it may be perforate at or adjacent that edge.
The support may be raisable or lowerable in operation, as is well known in the art, in which case it may have a constant cross-section portion and the chamber shield may have an extension projecting towards the constant cross-section portion to define therewith the pumping outlet such that the outlet has a fixed dimension in all operative positions of the support.
There may be a further shield extending into the chamber from a point above the inlet to define a gas diffusion path between the inlet and the chamber. In that case it is particularly preferred that the further shield projects to shield the pumping outlet. Conveniently the further shield may be perforate to enhance movement of the gas towards the process area.
From another aspect the invention consists in plasma processing apparatus including a chamber and a work piece support within the chamber raisable and lowerable during operation characterised in that the work piece support has a constant cross-section portion and the chamber or an element thereof includes a projection for co-operation with the constant cross-section portion to define a fixed dimension gas outlet in all operative positions of the support.
Whilst this approach is particularly convenient for sputtering apparatus of the type described above, it will be appreciated that there are benefits in many types of deposition and etching apparatus to be able to pump at a fixed rate whatever the operative position of the support. This structure is therefore broadly relevant to any substrate processing apparatus, in which the substrate support is movable between positions at times when pumping will occur.
Although the invention has been defined above it is to be understood it includes any inventive combination of the features set out above or in the following description.